The Poseidon Adventure - 1972

[Dude111]

I love this movie and I have always wondered since I saw that 2nd movie "Beyond The Poseidon Adventure" where that guy knew what was on board and was there straight away to get it....

Makes me wonder if they somehow created that title wave to cause the Poseidon to sink so they could grab the cargo.......

They didnt ever hint to any of this but its just something I have wondered...

What do you think guys??

It wouldnt be hard to cause a title wave in the path of that ship........ (A bomb going off far below for example)

Its interesting to think about........

Well … the sequel was made because the first film was a success. There is nothing in the first film, or the original novel on which it is (loosely) based that set up any plot twists, or anything else for that matter, which they intended to reveal later. So anything that happens in the second film is entirely due to the production priorities at the time, and not some grand storytelling plan. Sorry to disappoint you but it just wasn’t that well written. If you want to invent your own in-universe explanations for why things happened, I’d say go right ahead. But if you’re hoping the original producers of the films had some clever explanations in mind you’re in for a disappointment.

Personally I think the original film is most interesting because it is a good example of the early days of film-schooled directors making films (as opposed to theatre-trained ones) as well as the super-pessimistic ‘these great big things we’ve built are going to be the death of us!!!’ approach that Hollywood took to disaster movies in the 1970s (see also: The Towering Inferno).

The costumes, characterisation and direction of Poseidon are not subtle in any way shape or form.

[ianch99]

Reminds me of the Lew Grade quote about a similar (failed) ocean liner film "Raise the Titanic":

"It would have been cheaper to lower the Atlantic."

[Stephen]

There was no master plan for the sequel, the studio just decided they want one. Interesting bit about the producers inital plot idea. It's from Wikipedia.

In 1973, soon after the first film came out, producer Irwin Allen proposed a sequel that would have had the survivors testifying in a hearing on the disaster in Austria, the country of the Poseidon's parent company. While on a train to the hearing, a miles-long mountain tunnel would collapse, leaving the survivors of the train trapped inside, struggling to make their way out. The film was planned to be released at Christmas 1974 from 20th Century Fox. Most of the main cast was initially intended to reprise their roles from the first film. This premise was eventually used in the Rob Cohen film Daylight (1996) with Sylvester Stallone.

Originally planned with the first film's distributor 20th Century Fox, the film ended up moving to Warner Bros. Pictures after they signed a three picture deal with Allen in 1975.

Relationship of Gallico's novels to the films
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Paul Gallico's novel The Poseidon Adventure had ended with the ship's sinking. The original film changed much of the novel's plot and ended with the ship still afloat. After the huge success of the film, Gallico was asked to write a novel that would be a sequel not to his first novel, but to the film. It would feature a new group of people entering the still capsized ship and could be made into a second film. In response, Gallico started writing Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, but he died on July 15, 1976, before completing the book. The book was published on January 1, 1978. Once again the film that followed ended up bearing little resemblance to his book. Instead of sinking, the ship explodes, along with Svevo and his men.

[Dude111]

Wow thats interesting thank you!!

Originally Posted by Chris

Personally I think the original film is most interesting because it is a good example of the early days of film-schooled directors making films (as opposed to theatre-trained ones) as well as the super-pessimistic ‘these great big things we’ve built are going to be the death of us!!!’ approach that Hollywood took to disaster movies in the 1970s (see also: The Towering Inferno).

Ya I havent seen the towering inferno. Steve is in that isnt he?

Is that a good film also Chris? (I hear its quite long)

This premise was eventually used in the Rob Cohen film Daylight (1996) with Sylvester Stallone.

Might be a good one to see Steve..

[Stephen]

The Towering Inferno is one of my fav films. It's a really good production.

It’s an adaptation of 2 novels, The Glass Tower and Inferno, which deal with similar themes. On screen the overarching theme is typical of its time and genre - we are at the mercy of forces that are too powerful for us, and which even the most advanced systems we can design cannot save us from. While films like Andromeda Strain explore this from the point of view of the natural world - it’s an alien pathogen in that case, which (spoiler alert) mutates itself out of harm’s way, without human intervention - films like Poseidon ‘72 and The Towering Inferno blame profit-chasing, unaccountable mega-corporations for blighting the built environment with enormous man-made structures and systems that are inevitably still at the mercy of natural forces that are even greater (an ocean wave, or a fire).

I do like Inferno and I recommend it because if you are in any way interested in the language of film (how it’s lit, directed, staged, costumed, scored) it’s a good one to learn from. A feature film isn’t a documentary and the people in it aren’t random real-life people who dress and act in random ordinary ways. Everything you see and hear is crafted in service of the overall thesis. 1970s disaster films sit in the early days of this modern approach to film-making so they are a good introduction to it because, by more recent standards, they can be unsubtle, so the techniques may be easier to spot.

But yes, if you like a good disaster film on your TV on a Sunday afternoon, it fits the bill on that level alone.

[Dude111]

Sounds like a good one,along with that 1996 one Steve Mentioned

[Dude111]

I just found the first 1979 release of Towering Inferno and I ordered it (Magnetic Video)

I like movies to look,etc exactly as they did when they came out so getting one as close to its release date is important.. (Major (BIG) US companies really ruined movies.. They flattend the movies out like pancakes,etc)

Do they do that on DVD also guys? Do you watch movies and notice they are flat and look disgusting??

Thanx Chris for the recommendation for TTI!!

My dad said he saw it in the theater.. He said the theater next door was showing EARTHQUAKE and it was vibrating,etc...

[Stephen]

Not at all. DVDs, Blu Rays and 4K are usually mastered from an original 35mm and digitally restored.

That is the only way to properly see it as intended and the best best quality.
Watching on a VHS that has been copied many times and then played hundreds of times itself will be the worst looking fuzzy bland picture.

It will be missing many fine details and colour accuracy will be way off.

Even if know from watching Laserdiscs that old formats cannot hold up at all compared to remastered modern formats. VHS and rape in general being the worst as over time the tape degrades and wears out, it's the nature of the formats.

Originally Posted by Dude111

I just found the first 1979 release of Towering Inferno and I ordered it (Magnetic Video)

I like movies to look,etc exactly as they did when they came out so getting one as close to its release date is important.. (Major (BIG) US companies really ruined movies.. They flattend the movies out like pancakes,etc)

Do they do that on DVD also guys? Do you watch movies and notice they are flat and look disgusting??

Thanx Chris for the recommendation for TTI!!

My dad said he saw it in the theater.. He said the theater next door was showing EARTHQUAKE and it was vibrating,etc...

The only way to see a film as the director intended it is in a cinema. If it’s not going to be on a cinema screen then the nearest you will get to it is the Blu Ray release, which seems to get good reviews in terms of its faithful reproduction from the original Panavision film print. Then get the biggest, widest TV you can lay your hands on.

I know you’re a fan of 80s consumer tech but no piece of kit made in the 80s or 90s reproduces anything the way it looked when it originally came out. Especially not if you’re in the States and relying on standard definition videotape with NTSC colour, which is inferior to the PAL and SECAM systems used elsewhere in the world.

But, you be you, at least it will look somewhat similar to the way it would have had it been screened on a Sunday afternoon some time in the mid 80s, and that will have a nostalgic charm of its own.

[Hom3r]

Some old films are so bad that they are good and have acquired a cult following like, "Plan 9 from Outer Space".


the sets where so bad when they shut the space ship door the walls rocked.

[tweetiepooh]

This thread could move to discuss older films/TV that are still watchable other than the real classics (Star Wars, Ben Hur - Heston, etc).


I'm thinking about stuff from the BBC (Blake's 7) and movies that prove "Hollywood can make movies that would insult the intelligence of a four year old.", Night of the Lepus and the like.


Even the old Batman series would fit here. Some terribly made, you can hear the footsteps on wood even when obviously visually stone.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

Some old films are so bad that they are good and have acquired a cult following like, "Plan 9 from Outer Space".


the sets where so bad when they shut the space ship door the walls rocked.

Sounds like most old episodes of Doctor Who

[Dude111]

I got my VHS tapes (2) of The towering inferno yesterday and I watched it today.. Excallent movie!!!

Its the same master they used in the movie theater as at the end,it shows a PG slide...

Thank you again Chris,def a good movie!! (I didnt recognise OJ at all)